Bluetooth low energy rapid room entry system and method

• US 9,374,667 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2015
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Centrak Incorporated (Halma PLC)
• Original Assignee: Awarepoint Corporation
• Inventors: Delmage, Matt, Costabile, Brian, Jorgensen, Gary, Geng, Wei, Taylor, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Bilodeau, David
• Application Number:
  US14/667,021
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system and method for rapid room entry are provided in which at least two Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons may be used to determine when a BLE enabled object has crossed a boundary. The BLE enabled object may sense the signals from BLE beacon and a location engine may determine the crossing of the boundary based on the sensed signals from each BLE beacon. Each BLE beacon may have a directional antenna so that a portion of the signal having a strong strength is directed towards the boundary and a portion of the signal having a weaker strength is directed away from the boundary.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

two Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons adjacent a boundary in an area with a first BLE beacon mounted on a first side of the boundary in the area and a second BLE beacon mounted on a second side of the boundary in the area, each BLE beacon having a directional antenna so that a portion of the signal having a strong strength is directed away from the boundary and a portion of the signal having a weaker strength is directed towards the boundary;

a BLE enabled object that senses a signal from each of the two BLE beacons adjacent the boundary in the area and captures one or more characteristics of the signal for the two BLE beacons adjacent the boundary in the area; and

a location engine that determines when the one or more captured characteristics of the signal for the two BLE beacons adjacent the boundary intersect each other and determines, based on the intersection of the one or more captured characteristics of the signal for the two BLE beacons adjacent the boundary, a crossing of the boundary by the BLE enabled object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the signal for each BLE beacon further comprises a received signal strength indication for each BLE beacon.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the BLE enabled object senses one of a periodic signal from each BLE beacon and a continuous signal from each BLE beacon.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the location engine is resident in the BLE enabled object.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the location engine is remote from the BLE enabled object and the BLE enabled object communicates the one or more captured characteristics of the signal for the two BLE beacons to the remote location engine and wherein the remote location engine communicates the determination of the crossing of the boundary by the BLE enabled object back to the BLE enabled object.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the BLE enabled object is one of a smartphone device, a tag and a medical device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the crossing of the boundary by the BLE enabled object further comprises determining a movement of the BLE enabled object through a door.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the location engine determines a movement of the BLE enabled object into an area in three dimensional space.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the area is one of a floor and room in the three dimensional space and an area defined by a set of location coordinates, wherein the set of location coordinates further comprises one of an X and Y coordinate and an X, Y and Z coordinate.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the location engine uses the intersection of the received signal strength indication of the two BLE beacons to determine the crossing of the boundary by the BLE enabled object.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the BLE enabled object senses a signal from one BLE beacon located in a particular area and the location engine uses a proximity of the one BLE beacon to determine a presence of the BLE enabled object in the area.

12. A method, comprising:

providing a location determining system having two Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons adjacent a boundary in an area with a first BLE beacon mounted on a first side of the boundary in the area and a second BLE beacon mounted on a second side of the boundary in the area, each BLE beacon having a directional antenna so that a portion of the signal having a strong strength is directed away from the boundary and a portion of the signal having a weaker strength is directed towards the boundary;

sensing, by a BLE enabled object, a signal from each of the two BLE beacons adjacent the boundary in the area, the sensing further comprising capturing one or more characteristics of the signal for the two BLE beacons adjacent the boundary in the area;

comparing the one or more captured characteristics of the signal for the two BLE beacons adjacent the boundary in the area;

determining when the one or more captured characteristics of the signal for the two BLE beacons adjacent the boundary intersect each other; and

determining, based on the intersection of the one or more captured characteristics of the signal for the two BLE beacons adjacent the boundary in the area, a crossing of the boundary by the BLE enabled object.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more characteristics of the signal for each BLE beacon further comprises a received signal strength indication for each BLE beacon.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein sensing the signal from the BLE beacons further comprises sensing a periodic signal from each BLE beacon or continuously sensing a signal from each BLE beacon.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising communicating the one or more gathered characteristics of the signal for the two BLE beacons from the BLE enabled object to a remote location engine.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the crossing of the boundary by the BLE enabled object further comprises determining, at the remote location engine, the crossing of the boundary by the BLE enabled object.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising communicating the determination of the crossing of the boundary by the BLE enabled object back to the BLE enabled object.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the crossing of the boundary by the BLE enabled object further comprises determining a movement of the BLE enabled object through a door.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the crossing of the boundary further comprises determining a movement of the BLE enabled object into an area in three dimensional space.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the area is one of a floor and room in the three dimensional space and an area defined by a set of location coordinates and the set of location coordinates further comprises one of an X and Y coordinate and an X, Y and Z coordinate.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the crossing of the boundary further comprises using the intersection of the received signal strength indication of the two BLE beacons to determine the crossing of the boundary by the BLE enabled object.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein sensing the signals from the two BLE beacons further comprises sensing a signal from one BLE beacon located in a particular area and wherein determining the crossing of the boundary further comprises using a proximity of the one BLE beacon to determine a presence of the BLE enabled object in the area.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

a device having a processor, a memory and a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) receiver;

wherein the Bluetooth low energy receiver senses a signal from two Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons adjacent a boundary in an area with a first BLE beacon mounted on a first side of the boundary in the area and a second BLE beacon mounted on a second side of the boundary in the area and captures one or more characteristics of the signal for the two BLE beacons, each BLE beacon having a directional antenna so that a portion of the signal having a strong strength is directed away from the boundary and a portion of the signal having a weaker strength is directed towards the boundary; and

wherein the processor of the device determines when the one or more captured characteristics of the signal for the two BLE beacons adjacent the boundary intersect each other and determines, based on the intersection of the one or more captured characteristics of the signal for each of the two BLE beacons adjacent the boundary in the area, a crossing of the boundary by the device.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the one or more characteristics of the signal for each BLE beacon further comprises a received signal strength indication for each BLE beacon.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the Bluetooth low energy receiver one of senses a periodic signal from each BLE beacon and continuously senses a signal from each BLE beacon.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the processor determines a movement of the device through a door.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the processor determines a movement of the BLE enabled object into an area in three dimensional space.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the area is one of a floor and room in the three dimensional space and an area defined by a set of location coordinates and the set of location coordinates further comprises one of an X and Y coordinate and an X, Y and Z coordinate.

29. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the device uses the intersection of the received signal strength indication of the two BLE beacons to determine the crossing of the boundary by the BLE enabled object.

30. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the Bluetooth low energy receiver senses a signal from one BLE beacon located in a particular area and the device uses a proximity of the one BLE beacon to determine a presence of the BLE enabled object in the area.

31. A system, comprising:

a building having at least one doorway;

two Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons including a first BLE beacon mounted on a first side of the doorway and a second BLE beacon mounted on a second side of the doorway, each BLE beacon having a directional antenna so that a portion of the signal having a strong strength is directed away from the doorway and a portion of the signal having a weaker strength is directed towards the doorway;

a BLE enabled object that senses a signal from each of the two BLE beacons adjacent the doorway and captures a received signal strength of the signal for each of the two BLE beacons; and

a location engine that determines when the received signal strength of the signal for the two BLE beacons adjacent the doorway intersect each other and determines, based on the intersection of the received signal strength of the signal for the two BLE beacons adjacent the doorway, a crossing of the doorway by the BLE enabled object.